Welt turning and fabric take-up attachment for full-fashioned hosiery knitting machines



- D=.1,194"2.4 FTMlwAcHTLE Em. 2,303,412

WELT TURNINGI ANJ FABRIC TAKEUP VATTACI'IMEIJT FOR FULL-FASHIONED`HOSIERYKNITTING MACHINES f Filed Nov. l5, 1939 BYSheets-Sheet 1 yIllllll A 34 5%, w I

F526/ .fda

INVENTORS:

ATTORNEY y 2 t e 9 h S s m, DO e F, h ms MNB E l MH Hc CA LAM ANG, AN Euw WTS Rml E .EKK5, LMYl T R Hcmv. ISO CR ABON AHd WFDe .DWH N MAmF F SA w WELT TURNING FULL Dec. l1, 1942. y F.M.wAcH1-LER ITAL I WELT TURNINGAND FABRIC TAKE-UP ATTACHMENT` FOR FULL-FASHIONED HOSI'ERY KNITTINGMACHINES Filed NOV. l5,- 1959 8 ShetS-Sheet 3 l n mr Wwf TTORNEY Dec. 1,1942. M. wACH'rLER WELT TURNING AND FA FULLASHIONED HOS IERY FilledNov.' l5, 4,939

BRIC TAKE-UP ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING MACHINES a sheets-Sheet 4.`

lNvEN'roRs: l

ATTORNEY- Dec. 1, 1942. F. MxwAcHTLER rAL ,2,303,412

` WELT TURNING vAND FABRIC TAKE-UP ATTACHMENT FOR f FULLFASHIONEDHOSIERYKNITTING MACHINES ATTORNEY AQ Y DeC- 1, 1942. F. M. wAcHTLER ETALWELT TURNING AND FABRIC T EUP ATTACHMENT F y FULLTFASH D HOSIER NITTINGMACHINES ed NOV. l5, 1,939

8 Sheets-Sheet v BYWKJM I v ATTloRNEY ACI-IMENT De@ 1,1942-V F. M.wAcH'rLER rs1-AL" 2,303,412 WELT TURNING AND FABRIC TAKE- FULLL /MACHINEUP -FASHIONED HOSIER NITT Filed Nov. 19:59` 8 Sheets-Sheet? l A lNvENTrsL 'FM Macht/ef" & D. G. Traner.

A'rToNEY 2,303,412 -FOR R EI'AL C TAKE WACHTLE FABRI -UPATTAGHMENT-FAsHIoNED HosIERY vKNITTING MACH Filed Nov. l5,

Dec. 1942.

. WELT TUNNING AND NES FULL

I N 8-Shee'r...=s-Sheetl 8 www.

se W" YPatented Dec; 1, 1942 WELT 'rURNiNG AND FABRIC "rana-urn'r-`'rAonMEN'r Foa FULL-FASHIONED -Hosnaar xNrrrlNG MACHINES Friedrich MaxWach-tier, West New York, and `Donald G. Trutner, North Arlington,.N.J., as- Asignor-s to Alfred Hofmann, Inc., West New York, N. .i'.r v lApplication November 15, 199, Serial No.

55 claims. (tcl. ese-96) The present invention generally relates to weltformingand fabric take-up attachmerits for knitting machines and, `moreparticularly-pertains to improvements in mechanisms for automatic weltlturning and fabric take-up in the knitting of full-fashioned hosiery.

in accordance with the usual practice in the manufacture offull-fashioned hosiery, it -has been .customary to turn the weltmanually. The manual operations involved in forming thewelt require agreat degree y of skill, and' consume considerable time. Erts have beenmade to-l -wards the' elimination of these drawbacks by providingautomatic or semi-automatic welt turning attachments. However, suchknown welt turning attachments are `impractical in most instances and,in all instances, are very expensive, because of' their complicated andcumbersome construction and their intricate mode of operation.

lit is, therefore, one of the most important objects of the invention toprovide a welt turning mechanism of simplified structure and operationwhich may be readily attached to existingr knitting machines, withoutnecessitating material changes in'- the basic structure thereof and, ac-

ing of the fabric, thus rendering the device foolproof from apracticalstandpoint.

Another equally important feature of the inl vetion resides in theprovision of a combined automatic welt turning and fabric take-upattachment having \a simplified construction andv associationof parts,and capable of being easily built into fullfashi'oned hosiery machinesnow commonly in use for cooperative function therewith to form welts anddraw fabrics knitted y thereby during the normal operation thereof.

Other important objects and advantages of the invention will be in partobvious and in part pointed out hereinafter. Y

in order that the invention and its mode of operaton'may be readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art, we have, in the accompanyingdrawings and in the detailed. description based thereupon, set, out apossible embodiment 'of the invention.

With reference tothe drawings, itJ is to be understood that there hasbeen sh'own only those parts of a full-fashioned hosiery knittingmachine which are essential to a clear comprehension of the invention,the knitting machine itself j being of theusual construction andfunctioning cordingly, overcoming one of the serious objecv tions of thetrade to the adoption of vautomatic welt turners.

Also, in accordance with the general practice followed in the prior art,it is necessary to manually engage the take-up mechanism with each weltrod rutilized to draw the fabric o the needles as knitting progresses.This operation, while not of a skillful, technical nature, demandsstrict and careful attention on the Ypart of the operator and, for thatreason, usually requires that the machine `be stopped for the properperformance of the operation, resulting in loss Figure 1; r. of time andproduction. 40 Figure 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of The invention,therefore, moreover aims to pro- Figure 3; vide combined welt turningand take-up mecha- Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of nismscooperatively associated for synchronized Figure 3; 1

' automatic function without interruption .in the yoperation of theknitting machine, to draw the welt fabric as knitted, then' turn saidfabric to form a double welt, and finally draw under 'proper Anotherimportant feature of the invention resides in the provision of aweltturning and fabric take-up attachment having means to assure theaccurate positioning of thelvarious operable parts'for the properturningand tension-v {Figure '7;

in the ordinary manner well known to those skilled in the art.

In these drawings: Figure l is a top plan of a portion of afullfashioned hosiery knitting machine having the improved welt turningand fabric take-up attachment mounted thereon; certain parts beingbroken. away fand removed for the sake of clarity' of illustration; I

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same; Figure 3 is an enlargedvertical cross sectional detail looking in the direction of line 3-3 inFigure 6 is a top plan on an enlarged scale` of a portion of thetwo'welt bar carrier devices, t

one for each end of the welt bar;

Figure 7 is a section taken on line l-T of Figtension the stockingfabric knitted on the kniture 6: v y ting machine subsequent to theturning'of the Figure 8 is a. section taken on line 8-8 of welt. Figure6;

Figure 9 is ar section taken on linelS-S `of Figure 10 is a perspectiveof the welt bar-supporting member included in each of 'the tw carrierdevices of a welt bar: Y. t

-the rotatable hand wheel front table 2s.

' with the art, an elaborate be dispensed with herein.

Figure 11 is an enlarged cross sectional detail of another portion ofthe welt bar carrier devices, the section being taken on line II--Il ofFigure l 1 with certain parts removed for the sake of clarity;

Figure l2 is a section taken on line |2-I2 of Figure 11; ff

. Figures 13 to g3 inclusive are somewhat diagrammatic illust-rations ofthesequence of movements of the welt bar in the automatic operationthereof;

tion of a portion of Figure 23;I

Figure 26 is an enlarged detail of the welt rod 'holding and positioningdevice and of the fabric take-up mechanism; Figure 27 is an enlargedsection taken on line 21-21 of Figure 26;

Figure 28 is a sectionV taken on line 28-28 of, Figure 27; i l

Figure 29 is a detail illustrating a constructional feature of apart ofthetake-up mechanism;

Figure 30 is a top plan of a part of 'another portion of the take-upmechanism;

Figure 31 Vis an enlarged perspective of -a part. of the welt rodholding and positioning vmechanism;

Figure 32 is a section on a reduced scale takeny on' line 32-32 ofFigure 27.

Referring more particularly to the drawing whereinlike charactersofreference will Vindicate corresponding parts throughout, the machineframe is designated at 20 and carries the vusual bearings for supportingthe various shafts of the knitting machiney including the rotatablelongitudinally shiftable main cam shaft 2|, and shaft 22. The machineovided with the usual -center eam 24J frontbeam 25, and

frame is also p beam 23, back' f known in the art. Yarn is'fed to theknitting section 28 by means of yarn carriers 38 connected to thecarrier-bars 4U supported in brackets 42 on the machine frame 20. V-

The elements so far described are foundv in well known knitting machinescommonlyused ini-the trade and, since their construction and operationare fully understood by those familiar description thereof may Inaccordance with the invention, the knitf ting machine having the generalconstruction hereinbefore set forth, is provided with an automatic weltturning and fabric take-up attachment, which may be stated to compriseessentially:

I. A welt bar for each knitting section. y II. A'pair of. welt barcarrier devices for each welt-bar. i

JII. Mechanism for advancing and retracting the welt bar 'carrierdevices. f

IV. Mechanism for lifting, tilting, and lowering the welt bar carrierdevices;

V. Means for guiding and for side-stepping l the welt bar carrierdevices.

VI. Automatic take-up mechanism.

VII. Welt rod supporting and positioning l mechanism. For the sake ofclarity herein. each essential feature above enumerated will first bedescribed individually in the order given, and then a genl -eralstatement of operation will be made, clearly setting forth thecorrelated function of the various elements.

I. Welt bar The welt bar, designated in the drawings by thereferencecharacter 44, essentially comprises complementary bar sections 46 and"rigidly held together by means of bolts '48, or like fasteningelements, and securely yclamping therebetween a bank of welt hooks 50.The welt hooks 50, which also serve as transfer elements, are

adapted for cooperative action with the knitting needles n 32 to receivethe loops of the initial course knitted by said needles and subsequentlyreturn said loops onto the needles in the formation of the welt. l 1Each welt hook 50 preferably has the construction shown, consisting of ashank 52, a hook end 54, and a butt end 56, a portion of theshank andthe butt end being respectively adapted to fit into a groove 58and hole59 formed in one section 46 of the Welt bar 44. The portion of the shank52 projecting outwardly of the clamp- Y ing bar sections 46 and 44'! isbent and kinked to form a double vertical bend 60, that part of theshank from a point adjacent the hook end 54 to a point adjacent the bend60, being grooved in the usual manner for cooperation with the needlebeards, as will be specified hereinafter.

'I'he essential purposes of providing the welt hook with a doublevertical bend are. to form a stop for the retraction of the initialsinker loops of the welt fabric atthe bend vadjacent the grooved part ofthe shank in order to enable said initialv sinker loops to line up foreven and accurate transfer to the needles after the knitting of thedesired length of welt fabric and in order to provide for a free passageof the needle beards through` the groove of the shank for loops by theneedles; and to forml a downwardv angular displacement of the groovedpart of the shank as against the remaining part of the shank `welt hooksinto position for the return of said sinker loops to the needles byr areduced turning. motion of the welt bar, whereby to limit its traveltowards the sinker, head, and finally,` to prevent excessive stretchingor dragging of initial sinker f loops while retracting on the groovedportion of the shank.

In order that the welt hooks 50 may receive sinker loops of the initialcourse knitted by the needles-32, and subsequently return said loops tothe needles, the welt bar 44, according to the present invention, .iscapable of going through a sequence of movements. Inj"=describing themovements of the welt bar, the'terms "forward y facilitating the pickingup of the initial sinker the knockover and "backwardf are used withrespect to the weltbar itsel.f, the welt hooks being regarded as locatedat the welt Abar frontwhich normally is disposed to-face the needlesfrom the front of the machine frame. Therefore, the term forwardindicatesthe movement of the welt bar in a general direction from thefront to the back vof the machine, whereas the term backward indicatesthe movement of the welt bar in a general directionrfrom the backtowards the front of the machine frame. When referring to the placementof the welt hooks behind the needles, the term behind is used withrespect to the forward movement of the welt bar, which forward movementis employed for the presentation of the welt hooks to the needles.Therefore, the term behind indicates the location of the welt hooks onthe bearded*y side of the needles -betweenthe latter and the presseredge.

The sequence of thewelt bar movements is illustrated in Figures 13 to 25inclusive.

shown in Figure 13, the welt bar rst undergoes. a rectilinear horizontalforward movement to advance the welt hooks towards the needles forbringing said hooks from an inactive to an active position, the welt barbeing guided during a part of said movement for so positioning the `welthooks in relation to the needles that during the continued rectilinearforward movement of the welt bar, the hook ends of said welt hooks thepositioning of' the tially horizontal plane,

will pass between the needles in line with the sinkers at a pointbetween the sinkers and the knockover bits to engage the initial`sinkerloops when they'are cast olf the sinker nibs.

As shown in Figure 14, the welt bar then undergoes a rectilinearhorizontal backward movement to retract the welt hooks away from theneedles after engaging the sinker loops and, ac-

'above the heads of the needles, the welt barbeing shifted during a partof this movement to side-step the Welt hooks for their alignment withthe needles.

As" shown in Figure 16,-'the welt ber then undergoes a curvilinearsubstantially forward the returning of the movement towards the needlesto cause'the vaulting of the welt hooks over the needles and continuingin a curvilinear substantiallyk downward movement to place saidwelthooks behind the needles that is, on the beard side thereof wheresaid hooks are held stationary until the needles go' intopositionpreparatory to the transfer of the initial sinker loops backonto the needles.

As shown in Figure 17, the welt bar then undergoes a rectilinearvsubstantially downward movement to bring the initial sinker loopsadjacent to the needle heads at a point between bits and the sinkers toplace' said loops in position for engagement by the needles, after whichthe needles rise and enter said initial loops (Figure 18).

As shown inigure 19, the welt bar then unundergoes movement away fromtheneedles to move the eventually bringing the loops under tensionbetween the sinkers and the hook ends' of the welt hooks.

As shown in Figure 21, the welt bar then undergoes a thrust forwardmovement bringing the hook ends of the welt hooks into a substantiallyhorizontal position preparatory to unhoking.

As shown in Figures 22 and 24, the welt bar then undergoes a slightlyvertical downward movement causing the bent points at the hook ends ofthe welt hooks, as best shown in enlarged Figure'-24,A to slip past therbeards ofthe needles, thus relieving the tension of the initial sinkerloops Afor the instantaneous disengagement of the hooks from said loops.

`The movement separately illustrated in Figures 21 and 22 are moreor'less simultaneous so that hook ends into a substansion on thetransferred loops, and the unhooking of the welt hooks from said loopsfollow in rapid succession, in the manner represented in Figure 25.

As represented in Figure `23, the welt bar then a rectilinearyhorizontal backward welt' hooks out of the knittingffield; a curvilineartilting backward Y movement away from the needles to place the welthooks in their normal position ina substantially horizontal plane; and,

finally,` a rectilinear horizontal backward movement away from theneedles to return the welt hooks to their original inactive position.`

From the foregoing, it will beunderstood that, in accordance with ourimproved method, the movements of the welt bar may be divided into threedistinct groups, as follows:

1, Movements to effect the bringing of the welt bar from an inactive toan activeposition for the 1 hooking up of the welt hooks with theinitial sinker loops, and for the drawing of the welt fabric undertension while being knitted (Figures 13 and 14) 2. Movements to effectthe turning of the welt fabric and the transferring of the initials'inker loops back onto the needles (Figures 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19) 3.Movements `to effect the unhooking or releasing of the welt hooks fromthe initial sinker loops after their transfer onto the needles and weltbar to inactive position (Figures 20, 21, 22, and 23) dergoes asubstantially rectilinear backward movement whereby the welt hooksfollowthe movement 'of the needles for placing the same in positionpreparatory to the unhooking move- As shown in Figure 20, the welt barthen undergoes asubstantially rectilinear vertical upward movementcooperating with the needle motion,

, with the movement of the v limit for positioning the hook ends on asubstan- `lieve the tension on the loops the needles and unhook the welthooks from Asaid Attention is particularly called to the fact that gularrelationship of the bent portions of the Shanks are suchA that thesinker head and other parts of themachine will not prevent or interfereWelt bar to its tilting tially horizontal plane, as aforesaid.-

Als'o; it is to be noted that the pivot point about which the welt barswings in its movements tore'- transferred onto loops, is located, asshown at X, in Figure 23, in front of the welt bar properand below thecenter thereof, thus enabling the welt the needles gradually in acurvilinear motion with a minimum lift ofthe welt bar and, at the sametime, reducing the forward'r travel of the welt hooks to a minimum toprevent possible inter- .y

the relieving of the ten-` bar to vault over l ference with exist sothat it `may receive parts n the knitting ma.- chine.

In accordance with the present invention, all the foregoing enumeratedmovements are preferably automatic, with the exception of the firstsetup movement which may be accomplished by manual control, in themanner to be explained more fully hereinafter.

In order that the welt bar 44 may go automatically through its variousrectilinear and curvilinear movements, the invention contemplates the.'provision of devices and mechanisms cooperatively associated forsynchronized automatic function, which devices and mechanisms will nowbe described.

II. Welt bar carrier devices For the purpose of supporting the welt bar44 its various movements, l

66 'is held resiliently in normal horizontal position by means of aspring 'l0 constantly urging the outward end 12 of said arm in contactwith a stop 14 of the associated supporting plate 64. The

inward end 16 of each lever arm 66 is provided with a pivot stud 18passing through an opening 80 of a tiltable swingable welt bar holdingmember 82 preferably having the general shapev fully.

shown in Figure 10. Y

Each member 82 is formed with a rearward .extension 84 to which thecorresponding extremity of the welt bar 44 is affixed, for instance, bymeans of afbolt 86, as more clearly ures 6 and 7. 'I'he tilting swingingmovement of the members 82 in the direction of arrow represented in FigyA '(Figure 7) may be limited by providing on the lever arms 66 abutments88 disposedV to contact with the underside of extensions 84 of saidmembers. Each member 82, moreover, is formed with a pair offorwardextensions 90 and 82 respectively having camming surfaces 94 and 96, forthe purpose to be hereinafter specified.

DI. Mechanism for advancing and retracting the weltbar carrier devicesSuitably fixed in relative spaced relation along the front table 26 arepairs of suoli as that represented at |00, which brackets support arotatable shaft |02 extending throughout the length of the knittingmachine. Mounted for free rotation upon the shaft. |02 within theconfines of each knitting section 28 is a pair of hollow casings |04preferablyl of circular conguration and each, as more clearly shown inFigure 12, having a bore |06 suitably formed. in the peripheral surfacethereof and opening therein.

Received within the borev|06 of eachcasing,- and rigidly connectedthereto,A is one end |08 of an elongated channeled rail ||0 disposed sothat the `intermediate portion H2 extends transversely of the fronttable 26 and its free end I I4 protects towards the needle bar 30. y Asrepresented in the drawings, the portion ||2 `of .each rail |I0transversely ,extending over the l front table 26 may be provided with alateral lug ||6 carrying an adjustable abutment ||6 normally adapted torest upon said table and thus regulate the vertical normalposition ofthe bearing brackets;

rail I|0 in relation to the needle bar 30. The casings |04 within theconfines of each knitting section 28 are so located on the shaft |02that the free ends ||4 of the rails ||0 lie iny substantial transversalalignment with the opposite ex-i a size to fit concentrically within thehollow portion of said casing. 'I'he inner face of each disc |20enclosed in the casing k|04 is formed with an inner groove |23 and anouter groove |236 interconnected by means of a passage |24 cut on a linetangent to the inner groove through the portion |25 separating saidgrooves. A ilexible cable |26-preferablyin the form of a coil spring isnested within the grooves |23 and |23a,`

one end portion |28 Aof said cable being retained securely within theinner groove |23 by means of an annular plate |30 suitably fixed to thedisc,

|20, for instance, by bolts |32 orl like fastening elements.

Arranged adjacent the outer face |34 of each disc |20, andikeyed to theshaft |02, as shown at |36, is a clutch member |38 provided with aspring pressed rotatable plunger |40 normally adapted for engagementwith an opening |42 cut into said disc |20, whereby rotation of theshaft.

|02 in the direction of arrow B or in the direction of arrow C will betransmitted .to said disc |20 and, accordingly, wind or unwind'theassociated flexible spring cable |26. The free end |44 of each flexiblespring cable |26 is introduced into the corresponding channeled rail ||Ito slide freely therein, and is connected to a plunger |46 rigidlyattached,-by means of pins |48 or like fastening elements, to therespective supporting slidable plate 64 o each of the welt y bar carrierdevices 62.

Because of the provi'sion of the clutch arrangement, it lwill beunderstood that the mechanism for advancing and` retracting the welt bardevices 62 within the confines of any one of the knitting sections 28may 'be rendered inoperative aty will. l

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that when theclutch members |38 are in active engaged position, rotation of the shaft|02 in the direction of arrow B -will causethe welt bar 44 to move awayfrom the needle bar 3l, whereas rotation of the shaft |02 in thedirection of arrow C will cause the welt bar to move towards the needlebar.

Automatic rotation of the shaft |02 in the direction of arrow B, whichis utilized to slide the welt bar 44 away from the needles for drawingthe welt fabric as the knitting of courses progresses, may be, andpreferably is,'accomplished by means of a pulley or drum |50 aiiixed tosaid shaft, and of a take-up'cable |52 mounted thereaboutsaid cablebeing maintained under constant pulling tension, for example, by passingin the usual well known manner over an overhead pulley and thence downto a counterweight (not shown). I

Automatic lrotation of the shaft, |02 in the direction of arrow C, whichis utilized to slide g the welt bar 44 towards the needle bar forturntransferring the initial ing the welt fabric and sinker loops onto.the needles is had by .means of a racking mechanism |54 comprising, asmore clearlyfshown in Figures 3 and 4, a pinion |56 vfor engagement withthe oscillating lever |12, having when the automatic -when moving thewelt 204,. affixed to the keyed, or otherwise smed, to said shaft 02 anda reciprocating rack |58 enmeshed with said pinion. The rack |58 may beguided in its reciprocating movements by enclosing the same within anelongated casing |60 conveniently supported on the shaft |02 and havingla portion |62 adapted to constitute a housing for the pinion |56. vTheupper end of vided with aspring pressed plunger |51 adapted rack |58 toact thereon in the manner, and for the purpose, to be specifiedhereinafter.

Connected to the rack |58, for instance as shown at |64, is a rod |66passing freely through an opening |68 in one end portion v|10 of anitslother end portion |14 affixed to a rocking shaft v|16 supported inbearing brackets |18 on the back beam 24 of the machine frame 20. Acollar |80 adjustable along the length of the rod |66 is providedtovform an abutment for the lever |12 so that the latter, in itsoscillating movement, may lift the vrack |58 from the position shown inFigure 2 to the position shown in Figure 3, as and for the purpose to beexplained hereinafter. I

Also affixed to the shaft |`|6 is a second lever |84 carrying a-shift'able roller |86.adapted.for riding engagement either with anidling cam |88 or an Iactive cam" |90 on the main cam shaft.

As willgmore clearly appear from Figure l, the shiftableroller |86 isassociated with a forked shifter |92 pivoted, as shown at |84, on asuitable support |96 on the achine frame 20, andresiliently connected,as shown 'at |98, to a shifting rod 200 controlled by the welll knownpattern mechanism of the knitting machine at the time turning of thewelt is to be effected in accordance with the mode of operaadjacent end-of theY i ratchet wheel 204, as indicated in full lines in y* v thecasing |60 .is proi 3 and 4 wherein a termediate portion by means tionwhich will be described in detail hereinafter.

The welt bar may also be moved towards the needle bar for the hook-upoperation, that is, to bring the welt hooks 50 in positionadjacent theneedles 32 for engaging the initial sinker loops by manually rotatingthe shaft. |02 in the direction of arrow C. 4'The manual rotation of theshaft |02 is possible because of the Iloose connection 'between the rack.158 and its operating lever |12. '5

For the purpose of assuring'the accurate positioning of the-welt hooks`50 in relation t the needles 32, and also prevent the tips of saidhooks from injury by ramming into parts of the knitting machine, such asthe presser edge 33, bar towards the needl'e bar, there may be provideda limit stop 202 preferably consisting o f a one-tooth ratchet wheelshaft A|02 andadapted to be ,206 conveniently .mounted on the'rackcasing |60. This engaged by a dog a suitable portion of dog`206 may bemoved manually by the operator into contact with said wheel 204 as thewelt hooks 50 approach the needles 3 2 so that, with the followingrotation of the shaft |02 in the direction of arrow C, the tooth 208 ofsaid wheel.204 will abut the end 2|0 f the dog and', accordingly. arrestfurther movement in that direction.

In-order to assure the release of the shaft |02 for the subsequentoperation of the mechanism, there may 'be' provided a rod 2I2 connected,as shown at 2|4, to the cam operated lever |12 and having a connection2|.6 with the dog 206 whereby, upon upward movement of said lever, thedog will be lifted to'disengage the tooth 208 of the Figure 3 of thedrawings.

In order that the mechanism may be adaptable widths, there may be protoform welts of various -vided means capable of limiting movement of therack |58 which, accordingly, limits the drawing of lthe` welt bar 44away from the needle bar 30. Such a possible means has been shown inFigures dog 2|8 is pivotally mounted in the casing |60 and adapted to bemanually actuated by means of a handle 220 for positioning in the pathof movement of a'recessed portion 222 on said rack |58. "1" l IV.Mechanism for` the welt bar carrier devices in the confines of eachknitting section and one device being associated with each channeledrail ||0. f

Each sectional operating device 226 preferably consists of a split hub228 formed with lan extension arm 2 30, and of a link 232 pivoted at itsinsaid member, to swing the same in the manner to be set forth in thesubsequent description of its operation. `Also secured tothe shaft 224isa lever 248 connected by means of alink 250 to one end 252 of an arm254, having its other end l256 pivoted to the machine frame, as shown at258. The intermediate portion of the arm 254 carries al shiftable roller260 intended for riding engagement wither with an idling cam 262 or anactive cam 264 on the main cam shaft 2|.. The roller 260 is associatedwith a forked shifter 266 pivoted, as shown at 268, on a suitablesupport 210 on the arm 254, i and resiliently connected, as shown at212, to thel shifting rod200 which, as hereinbeforeI stated, alsocontrols the shifter |92. Thus, when the roller 260 is in engagementwith the active cam 264, said cam will act through the'arm 254, link260, and lever 248 to rotate the shaft 'direction of arrow D and,accordingly, bring the roller 236 in contact with the associated chan`"neled rail I0 and lift the same, together with the -welt bar 44,` andto place angular bentnger 242 into position tocooperate with extensions84 and 86 of the holding and turning member 82, on

which welt bar is mounted for the turning operation by the forwardmovement ofthe' weltbar.`

lifting, tilting', rand loweringv of a pivot stud '234,

232 is formed with a suba cam shaped the extension arm 230 to' or 82 ofthe associated welt bar hold-y ing member 82, depending upon theposition of 224 in the' Side-stepped t align the Welt `hooks 5U with.the

y 282 rotatably bar carrier devices In order to eect the proper initialhook-up, the welt bar 44, in moving at its lowermost level towards theneedle bar 30, is guided sothat the welt hooks 50 may pass betweentheneedles 32 in line with the sinkers 34 at a point between the sinkers34 and the knockover bits 36, to engage the initial sinker loops whenthey are cast off the sinker nibs; also, in order to effect the properreturn of said initial sinker loops to the needles subsequent to theknitting and turning of the Welt fabric, the welt bar 44, in moving atits uppermost level, is

needles. Although various means maybe employed for guiding andside-stepping the welt ybar, the mechanism 214 illustrated in thedrawings is preferred. This mechanism 2 14 comprises supporting brackets216 -rigidly mounted on the brackets I00 and located adjacent the pathof movement of the supporting slidable plates 64. Stud-headed pins 218and 280 are `adjustablycarried by each of said brackets 216,"the pins218 being disposed to contact said slidable plates 64 when moving inlowered position, and the pins 280 being disposed to contact theslidable plates when moving in elevated. position. The mentionedside-stepping is made possible because of the nor` mal workingclearances of the various parts'of the mechanism.

VI. Automatic/takev-up mechanismv In order to draw' the welt fabric fromthe eedles 32 and maintain said 35 the machine after the turning of thewelt, there is provided a take-up mechanism which is intendedtocla-function with the welt turning mechanism.

'I'he fabric take-up mechanism includes a. shaft 40 |02 of the weltturning mechanism.

Freely mounted upon the shaft 282 and held by means of collars 286within the confines of each knitting section 28, is a pair of hollowcasings 288 preferably of circular configuration and each having a bore280 suitably 'formed in the peripheral surface thereof and openingtherein.

Received within the bore 280 of each casing 288 and rigidly connectedthereto is one end 292 of a slotted tube 284 disposed so that itsintermediate portion 286 extends transversely of the front table 26, andits free end 288 projects towards the needle bar 30. `As shown in thedrawings, the portion 288 of each slotted tube 2196 extending over thefront table 26 may be xed thereon by means of a clamp 300.

Associated with one of pair, and xed upon the by means of a lock screw302, is a sleeve 304 havlng a anged portion 306. A hub 308 is freelyreceived on' the sleeve 304 and abuts the anged portion 306 thereof.'I'he surface of the'hub 308 abutting the anged portion 306 of thesleeve 304 the casings 288 `of each 60 shaft 282, for instance,

is formed with an annular recess 3I0 accommodating an adjustable stop 3l2 and a xed stop 3 i4 relatively disposed at diametrically opposedpoints on said flanged portion 306. The hub 308 is moreoverprovided witha pin 3|6 projecting into the recess 3| 0 and adapted to contact the'fixed stop 3H 'on theilanged portion 306 of the sleeve 304, a. spring3|8 `being interposed between said 75 pin and adjustable stop portion. I

By reasonA of this construction, it will be ap preciated that the hub308 is' capable of torsional resiliency,`which is desirable to assurethe proper take-up operation, as will fully be pointed out carried bysaid flanged hereinafter.

The hub 308 with its torsional resilient constructioi cooperateswith'asecond hub 320 freely mounted on the shaft 282 roller 322, saidsecond hub being associated with the remaining casing'288. Each hub 308and 320 is formed with a pulley-like extension 324 '1 enclosed in theassociated casing and having a flexible cable 326 preferably in the formof a coil spring wound thereabout. One end portion 328 of each of theflexible cables 326 is xed to the extension 324 of the correspondinghub, as shown at 330, and the otherend portion 332 oi each spring cable326 passes in the associated slotted tube 284. The spring cables 326 areinterconnected by means of a cross bar 334 consisting of solid endpieces 336 united to the free ends of said cables, and of anintermediate tubular piece 338 engaging said end pieces. Hooks 340 arerigidly attached to the solid end pieces 336 and engageable with a weltrod 342 adapted to be laid over the welt fabric.

From the'preceding description of the take-up mechanism, it will'beunderstood that rotation of the shaft 282 in the direction of arrow Ewill wind the spring cables 326 and, accordingly, draw the hooks 340 andwelt rpd 342 in engagement therewith away from the needle bar 30,whereas the turning of the shaft 262 in the direction oi' arrow F willunwind the spring cables 326 and cause the hooks 340 to move towards theneedle bar. y

By reason of thev spring 318 and its association with the ware-rollerconstruction, it will be understood that said spring will cooperate withthe, spring cables 326 to maintain the fabric undel'. constant propertension while affording sufficient torsional resiliency to assure theknitting needles 32 in the various functions thereof.

Automatic rotation of the shaft 282 in the direction of arrow E which isutilized to maintain the fabric being knitted under proper tension andtake up the same as knitted by the machine, is accomplished by meansofa, pulley or drum 344 affixed to said shaft a'nd having a take-up cord346 wound thereabout, said cord being maintained under constant pullingtension by passing in the well known manner over an over-head pulley andthence down to 'a counterweight (not A handle and ratchet device 340 isshown for turning the drum 344 to wind up the cord 346 thereon in orderto provide suillclent draw-off movement by weight action.

Automatic rotation of the shaft 282 in the direction of arrow F, whichis utilized to release the tension on the, fabric in order to allow forthe turning of the welt, is had by means of a racking mechanism 360comprising a pinion 352 fanixed onto the shaft 282, and a rack 354engageable with said pinion. The rack 354 is pro vided, with anextension 356 having a slide 358 yengageable with' a pin 360 rigid withthe weit {bar mechanism operating arm |13 so that, upon f oscillation.of said arm,

the rack 364 will be reciprocated to rotate the pinion 352. The rack3643 is resiliently maintained to support a warefree movement of theshaft 282. Guide member 362 is pivoted at 364 to projection 366 onextension 356, and is maintained "parallel, or in other suitablepredetermined relationship, to rack 354 ,by stop pin 361 fixed in theupper extremity of guide memf. ber 362 which is constantly urged inbearing contact with the end of rack 354 by spring 368. The guide member362 is provided with a recessed portion 312 intended t'o register withthe grooved bushing 310 on the shaft 282 when the rack 354 reaches itslowermost position (Figure 2), whereby said rack will be caused todisengage the pinion 352.

The welt rod hooks 340 may also `be brought into their position adjacentthe needle bar 30, that is, to the position shown in dotted lines' inFigure 26 of the drawings, by manually rotating the shaft 282 in the'direction of arrow F, which is possible because the rack 3541s then outof engagement with the pinion 352, as shown in Figure 2.

The proper position ofthe hooks 340 is assured by means of a one-toothratchet wheel 214 on the shaft 282, to be engagedby a dog 216 pivotallysupportedv on a suitable portion of the machine frame 20, which dog 216may be operated in the same manner'as the dog 206 hereinbefore referredto.

At this point, attention is called to the fact that the hooks 340 aremaintained advantageously above the fabric and its knitting field bymeans of a bend 318 in the slotted tubes 234 which guides the hooksupwardly; At any time after a suiiicient amount of welt fabric has beenknitted, the weltrod 342 may be brought by the operator into operativeposition.

VI. Welt rod supporting and postiom'n l mechanism engage the same in themanner indicated vparticularly in 'Figure 31.

Each clip 382 is carried on a head 334 having rod guiding members 386;The heads'334 are secured to a crossbar 388 supported in arms 3 30swingable over and back to operative position, as represented in Figure26. For that purpose, the arms 330. are mounted for swinging movement onpivots 332 in bearing supports 334 on the brackets |00 over the fronttable 26 of the machine frame 20, and operable to bring a series of weltrods simultaneously above lthe fabric being knitted in thevarious-knitting sections. In this manner, it will appreciated that thewelt rods are suspended over thefabrics in the path of movement of thehooks 340 when retracted. The suspended position of the welt rods may beaocurately adjusted `by means of adjustable stops 336 on the arms 330and disposed to contact with the bearing supports 334. 1

Operation,

' In using the improved welt turning and fabric" take-up attachment, theinitialcoui-se of loops is `formed by operation of the knitting machinein the usual manner, thatis, the yarn carriers 33 feed the yarn to theneedles 32 which then oofunction with the sinkers and dividers 34 toform the loops which 'remain engaged on the needles. 1|

'7 Following the formation of said linitial course of loops, theknitting is stopped. orat least slowed down, for permitting the welthooks 50 on the welt bar 44 to enter betweenthe needles `32 in..

line with the sinkers 34 at a point between the sinkers 34 and knockoverbits 36 (Figure 13), and subsequently receive the initial loops whencast off the sinker nibs. Thereafter, thev welt bar is retracted fromthehook-up position (Figure 14) -to produce the desired tension,whereupon the knitting of the welt fabric can continue.

The w'elt bar 44 which, during the knitting of the initial course, laidin its neutral inactive position, thatl is, away from the needles and ina substantially horizontal plane, lis given its rectilinear horizontalforward movement towards the needle bar 30 and brought into operativehook-up position, that is, withthe hook ends 54 of the welt hooks 53projecting slightly beyond the needles 32 in line with the sinkers 34 ata point between thev sinkers 34 and knockover bits 36. Ilhewelt bar 44is moved towards the needle `bar for the hook-up operation by manuallyrotating theshaft |02 as hereinbefore stated. The movement of the weltbar towards the needle bar for the hook-up operation takes place withthe.

channeled rails ||0 and the welt bar carrier devices 62 at the lowestlevel due to thev lowered position of the rollers 236 carried by thesectional operating members 226 on the shaft 224 under control of thecam roller 260, which at this time engages the idling cam 262 on themain cam shaft 2|. In this position, the rails H0 with the Welt barcarrier devices 62 are vertically located by the abutments ||3contacting the front table 26.

As the welt bar| 44 approaches the needle bar 30, said welt bar isguided in its rectilinear for-' ward horizontal' movement by th'estud-headed pins 213 contacting the slidable plates 64 which,

as already mentioned, places the welt hooks 50:

for passage between the n dles 32 in line with the sinkers 3|l at apoint be Ween the sinkers 34 and knockover bits 36 to effect the hook-upwith the sinkerloops -of the initial course when cast oil the sinkerlnibs.

" Following the hook-up, the knitting machine operates in the usualmanner to knit the series of courses forming the welt fabric, which isdrawn resiliently through the welt bar 44 and asso.-

ciated spmg flexible cables |26 by means of the drum |50 and take-upcable |52 functioning to y rotate the shaft |02 in thedirection of arrowB,

which imparts to the welt bar its rectilinear horizontal backwardymovement away from the needles.

Astheknitting of the weltproceeds, the welt rodhooks 340,are brought totheir position adjacent the needle bar 30, thatv is, the position shown.in dotted lines in Figure 26, by manually rotating t-he shaft 232 inthe direction of arrow F. At anytime after a sumcient amount of weltfabric has been knitted,- the welt rod 342 may be brought by theoperator into operating position by actuating the welt rod supportingand positioning mechanism. f

As the end of the knitting of the welt approaches, the shaft 232 isrotated manually in the direction of arrow E, which resiliently retracts-the hooks 3,40 from their position adjacent the needle bar. The hooks340, in their retracting movement, engage the associated welt rod 342,freeing the same from the spring clips 332 and,

f through action of the bend 318 in the slottedV tube 234. draws`saidx'od342 onto the fabric. The

welt rod 342 is drawnto a point where-it underlies the welt bar 44;thus' theloops engaged on thewelt hooks are gradually retracted towardsthe loop'stop bend A60 of the welt hooks and be-l come finally lined upin positive engagement with said bend 60. Also, the drawing of the weltrod to the point mentioned results in resiliently exerting a pull on thewelt fabric, replacing the pull exerted through the weltbar, until thefull desired length of fabric is attained.

About the time the knitting has progressed to a point approximatelythree-courses prior to the` end ofthe welt fabric knitting, the wellknown pattern chain mechanism of the machine ,operates to actuate theshifting rod 200 which pivots the forkedshifters |82 and 266, causingthe roll-- ers |86 and 260 to shift on their idling cams |90 andl 264.At that same time, the pattern chain of the machine also operates toactuate a switch control (not shown) having the usual well knownconstruction, and operating to set.the machine into low. speed, vwhichis desirable to effect the turning of the welt. The knitting machinethus set, continues to knit the last courses of the welt fabric,whereupon the patternchain mechanism operates to actuate the ordinarymain cam shaft shifting mechanism to move the cam shaft I2 to 1narrowing position and, accordingly, bring the active cams |90vand 264into aligned relationship i with the corresponding rollers |86 and 260of the mechanism. i

It will be understood `that the shifting of the main cam shaft likewisebrings into play a different set of operating cams to work the needles32, sinkers and dividers I3 and knockover bits 36.

With the active cams |82 `ment with the rollers |86 and 260, the machinefunctions to turn the welt and transfer the initial sinker loops backonto the knitting needles in the following manner: Rotation of the maincamy shaftl I2 causes the 226 on the-welt bar lifting and tiltingmechanism so that, during the continued forward movement of the welt bar44, the same is given a curvilinear -movement causing the welt hooks tovault over the needles going through the successive positions shown inFigure 16 of the drawings.

The tilting of the welt bar 44 in its curvilinear movement ultimatelyplaces the welt hooks 50 in the position represented in fulllines insaid Figure 16, wherein said hooks are shown as adjacent to the presseredge 33 having been hurdled over the tips of the needles 32 and broughtdown and held behindthem, that is, on the beard side of said'needles inpreparation 'for the loop transgrooves of ythe welt hook shanks' 52(Figure 17).

and 264 in engagel fer, whereupon the needles 32 are brought back in therdirection of the' sinkerhead entering the The resilient mountingthrough spring 244 of the link 232 assures the positive interengagementof the welt hooks and needles 32during the various movements thereof toeiect the actual loop transfer. The welt hooks and needles being thuscoupled, the latter are operated'to enter the loops lon the former(Figure 18), the fabric beingheld down not merely by the bends in thehooks, but also by the sinkers and dividers 34 which are then in theiradvanced loops engaging both the hooks 50 and needles 32, the needlesand the hooks shift to the position represented in Figure 19.

Thereupon, the welt bar and hooks are lifted yto the extent that thehook ends 54 of the welt ward movement and slightly vertical downwardcam through the lroller |86, lever |84, shaft |16, and lever |12 toactuate the racking mechanisms |54 and 350 in unison, causing thesimultaneous rotation of the shafts |02 and 282 in the direction ofarrows C and F respectively which, as hereinbefore stated, moves thewelt bar 44 and welt rod 342 towards the needle bar 30. At substantillythe same time, the cam 264- the roller 260, arm 254, rotates the shaft224 in the direction of arrow D, accordingly raising the sectionaloperating devices 226 so that, with the continued movement of the weltbar 44 towards the needle bar 30, the Q underside of the rails I I 0will ride over the rollers 236, thus elevating the welt hooks 50 to thelatter on a `plane above the knitting needles (Figure 15). As the welthooks 50 are elevated to their position above the knitting needles thewelt bar 44 is shifted to align said hooks with the needles.

through link 250, and lever 24B` movement to said welt bar and bringingthe hook ends 5| to a substantially horizontal plane sothat,'immediately upon the passing of saidsharp risers, the welt barwill snap back, bringing about the positivevdisengagement of the hooksfrom theloops. Immediately upon disengagement of the hooks from theloops, the welt bar starts to recede, the camming faces 94 of the4extensions 80 on the Welt bar holdingl members 82 comingin contact withthe bent ngers 242 which return f the welt bar 44v and welt hooks 60 totheir original horizontal position, as shown yin Figure 23, the welt barbeing then drawn away from the needles until it reaches its initialposition where it remains until another welt turning operation is toThis is done by means of the stud-headed pins` 280 carried by thebrackets 216 and adapted to contact the supporting slidable plates 64,thus guiding. the welt bar supporting structure to positionthe welt barhooks as stated. 1

By the time the welt hooks 50 reach theirelevated position, shown inFigure 15, -the-.sinkers and dividers 34 have ret'.`racted,"and theneedles 32 start their movement from the position shown in Figure I5 tothe position' shown in Figure 16.

At aboutthe same time,- the camming faces 96 of the ,forward extensionsv92 of the welt bar supporting members 82 -come in contact with thebentfingers 242 'of tbe'sectional operating devices be performed.

It will be appreciated that as the welt bar 44 and welt rod 342 gothrough their various movements, the fabric is held constantly underproper yieldable tension due to the provision of the spring cables |26and, 326' and also of the tor sional spring.3|8 associated with theware-roller 322.

When the welt bar has reached its initial position following the turningof the welt, the patternchain mechanism acts to restore the ma- 'chineto normal knitting4 position, whereupon knitting of th leg portionofzthestocking is carried out in the usual manner, the fabric' being drawn'through the'take-up mechanismwhich then 344. v 4 In concluding, itjisto beunderstood that. the

operates by actuationvof the take-up drum position. 1 Now with thevconstructionhere'in shown and described is capable of certainmodifications without departing from the essence of the invention.Accordingly,

any modications coming within the scope`of the s subjoined claims are tobe considered within the bar and its supporting means towards theneedles;

and means operable for' placement in the path of the welt bar supportingmeans for imparting a tilting swinging motion to the welt bar in itsadvance towards the needles a fabric draw-off. device including a fabricdraw-off member and means to move said draw-oi member in a directionopposite to that of its draw-off movement;

and, means operable for automatically actuating the draw-oil' membermoving means simultaneously with the movement of the welt bar inthedirection towards the needles.

2. In combination with the bank of needles of e `a iiat knittingmachine, a welt turning mechato the welt bar in its advance towards saidneedles; and aeme'chanism under control of said main cam shaft foroperating the last mentioned means; a fabric draw-off device including afabric draw-off member and means to move-said draw-off memberyinadirection opposite to that of its draw-oil movement; and, means undercon.

trol of the main cam shaft for automatically actuating the draw-offmember moving meansv simultaneously with the movement of the welt barinthe direction towards the needles.

5.' In combination with the main 'cam shaft and knitting needles of aflat knitting machine, aV welt turning mechanism comprising; a welt bar;carrier devices slidable towards andaway from the needles and on whichsaid welt bar is mounted to receive bodily tilting movements in reversedirections; swinging. guides cn which the carrier devices are slidablymounted to renism comprising: a welt bar; carrier devices slidabletowards and away from the needles and including pivotal members on whichthe welt bar ismounted to receive bodily tilting movements in reversedirections; swing g` guides on which the carrier devices are slida lymounted to receive 1 their sliding movements towards and away from theneedles; and cam operated devices having means in engagement with saidguides for shifting Athe same to raise the welt bar above -said neeedlesand further having means engageable with said members' of the carrierdevices to impart tilting and swinging movements to the raised welt barduring the sliding movement of the carrier devices on said guides in thedirection towards the needles; a. fabric draw-olf device including afabric draw-olf' member and means to move said draw-ofi' member in adirection opposite to that of its draw-off movement; and, means operablefor automatically actuating the draw-off member moving meanssimultaneously with the ceive their sliding movements towards and awayfrom said needles; and mechanism undei` control of said main cam shaftand engageable ywith said guides for shifting the same to raise the weltbar above the knitting needles and imparting tilting and swingingmovements to the welt bar; a fabric draw-olf device including a fabricdraw-off member and means to move said draw-off member in adirectionjopposite to that of its draw-off movement; and, means undercontrol of the main' cam shaft for automaticallyactuating the drawoffmember moving means simultaneously with the movement of the welt bar inthel direction towards the needles.y

6. In combination with the pattern control mechanism and knittingneedles of aflat knitting machine, a welt turning mechanism comprising:a welt bar; supporting means therefor; means operable to advance saidwelt bar and its supporting means towards the needles; means operable -4needles; and a mechanism operated by said pattern control mechanism foroperating the last men- Y tioned means; a fabric draw-oil deviceincluding a.

sliding movement of the carrier devices on saidy f guides in thedirection towards the needles.Y

3. In combination with the main cam shaft and l knlttingneedles of aflat knitting machine, a welt turning mechanism comprising: a welt bar;carrier devices, one for each end of the welt bar, and mounted forrectilinear movements towards and away from said needles; and amechanism under controlof said main cam shaft to impart curvilinearmovements to said .carrier devices 'for causing the welt bar to moveover and behind the needles in the course 4of the rectilinear slidingmovements of said carrier devices towardf--the needles; a fabricdraw-off device including.'- a fabric draw-olf member and means tomniesaid draw-off member in a direction oppositeito that of itsdraw-ofi' movement; and, means under control of the main-cam shaft forautomatically actuating the draw-off member moving means simultaneouslywith the movement of the welt bar in the direction towards the needles.

4. In combination with the main cam shaft.

and knitting needles of a ilat knitting machine. a welt turningmechanism ccmprising: arwelt bar; supporting means therefor; means.operable to advance the welt bar and itssupporting means'towards saidneedles; means operable for placement in the path of the weltbarsupporting means for imparting a tilting, swinging motion fabricdraw-off member and means to move said draw-oil member in a directionopposite to that of its draw-'oil movement; and; means under con-'- trolof the main cam shaft for automatically actuating the draw-of! membermoving means simultaneously with the movement of the welt bar in thedirection towards the needles.

7. In a nat knitting machine: a welt bar; a pair of welt bar carrierdevices, one for each end of the welt bar, each of said carrier devicesincluding a welt bar holding member, a lever arm carrying said memberfor tiltable swingable motion, and a plate supporting said arm; amechanism lfor advancing and retracting said welt barffcarrier devicesand including a, exible cable for,

. and attached to, each supporting plate of each welt bar carrierdevice, an elongated channeled rail partly enclosing said cable, acasing mounted for rocking movement arid carrying said rail, a drumwithin the casing and connected tosald cable for winding and unwindingthe same,`ea racking device for operating said drum to -wiAnd and unwindthe cable, and a power driven means for actuatingsaid racking device; amechanism for lifting, tilting, and lowering the welt barcan'ier devicesincluding. welt bar operating device for each welt bar carrier deviceand having means engageable with thewelt bar holding member thereof fortilting and swinging said member to@ -gether with the welt bar, andmeans in engagement with the corresponding rail of the welt b ar carrieradvancing and retracting mechanism for lifting and lowering the same;and a power driven means for actuating said welt bar actuating devices;a fabric draw-oil device including a fabric draw-oil member and means tomove said v draw-off member in a direction opposite to that of itsdraw-oil movement; and, means for automatically actuating the draw-01T`memberl moving means simultaneously with the operation of*` the rackingdevice 'to unwind the cables.

8. In a multi-section at knitting machine:v a plurality of Welt bars,one for each section; pairs of. welt bar carrier devices, one pair foreach welt bar and including welt bar holding members, lever. armscarrying said members for tiltable swingable motion, and platessupporting said arms; a mechanism for advancing and retracting said weltbar carrier devices and including flexible cables, one attached to eachsupporting plate of the bar carrier devices, elongated channeledrailspartly enclosing said cables, casings mounted for rocking movement andcarrying said rails, drums within said lcasings and connected to saidcables for winding and unwinding the same, a racking device foroperating said drums to wind and unwind said cables, and a power drivenmeans for actuating said racking device; a mechanism for lifting,tilting, and lowering the welt bar *carrier devices inclgding welt baroperating'devices hav-v ing means .engageable with the welt bar holdingmembers of the welt bar carrier devices for tilting and swinging saidImembers together with the welt bar, and means in engagement withtherails of the welt bar carrier advancing and retracting mechanism forlifting and lowering the same;

and a power driven means for actuating said welt d bar actuatingdevices; a, fabric draw-off device including a fabric draw-oir memberand means to move said draw-oir member in a direction opposite to thatof its draw-oil. movement; and, Ymeans for automatically actuating thedraw-oil member moving means simultaneously with the operation of theracking device to unwind the cables.

9. In a multi-section flat knitting machine: a'v

plurality of welt bars,A one for each section; pairs of welt bar carrierdevices, one 'pair for each welt bar and including welt bar holdingmembers,

.lever arms carrying said members-for tiltable swingable motion andhaving a, pair of camming surfaces, and `a plates supporting said arms;al

mechanism for advancing and retracting said welt bar carrier devices andincluding flexible cables, one attached to each supporting plate of thebar carrier devices, elongated channeled rails partly enclosing saidcables, casings mounted for rocking movement and carrying said rails,drums within said casings and connected to said cablesfor Winding andunwinding the same,`a racking device for operating said drums to windyand unwind said cables, and a power driven means for actuating saidracking device; a mechanism f or lifting, tilting, and lowering the weltbar carrier devices including welt baroperating devices having camfingers engageable with the cam surfaces of the welt bar holding membersof the welt bar carrier devices for tilting and swinging said memberstogether with the weltbar, and means in engagement with the rails of thewelt said draw-off member in a direction opposite to .that of itsdraw-off movement; and, means for automatically. actuating the draw-of!member moving meanssimultaneously with the operation 'of the rackingdevice to unwind the cables.

l0. In combination with the main cam shaft and knittinginstrumentalities of a at knitting machine: a4 welt bar; carrierdevices, one for each end of the welt bar, and including welt barholding members, lever arms carrying said mem bers for tiltableswingable motion, and plates supporting said a'rms; a mechanism foradvancing and retracting said welt bar carrier devices towards and awayfrom said knitting instrumentalities and including flexible cables, oneattached to each supporting plate of the bar carrier devices, elongatedclLanneled rails partly enclosing said cables, casings mounted forrocking movement and 4carrying said rails, drums within said casings andconnected .to said cables for winding and 'unwinding the, same, aracking device for operating said drums to wind and unwind saidcables,means for actuatingvsaid racking device, and a cam on said main camshaft,

for the operation of said racking device actuating means; a mechanismfor lifting, tilting, and

lowering the welt bar carrier devices in relation I last mentionedmeans; a fabric draw-ofi.' device including a fabric draw-olf member andmeans to' move said draw-off member in a direction opposite to that ofitsdraw-off movement; and, means under control of the main cam shaft forautomatically actuating the draw-off member' moving means simultaneouslywith the 'operation of the racking device to unwind the cables.

11. In combination with the main Icam shaft and knittinginstrumentalities of a fiat knitting machine: a welt bar; carrierdevices, one for eachend of the welt bar, and including welt bar holdingmembers, lever arms carrying said members for tiltable swingable motion,and having a pair of camming surfaces, and plates supporting said arms;a mechanism for advancing and retracting said welt bar carrier devicestowards and away from said knitting instrumentalities and includingflexible cables, one attached to each supporting plate of the barcarrier devices, elongated channeled rails partly enclosing said cables,casings mounted for rocking movement and carrying said rails, drumswithin said casings and connected-to said cables for winding and unwinding the same, a racking device for operating saiddrums to wind andunwind said cables, means forv actuating said racking device, .and a camon said main cam shaft for the operation of said racks2 ing deviceactuating means; a mechanism for i lifting, tilting, and lowering thewelt bar carrier A devices in relation to said knitting instrumentalibarcarrier advancing and retracting mechanism -for lifting and lowering thesame; and a power driven means for actuating said welt bar actuatingdevices; a fabric draw-,off device including ties and includingwelt baroperating devices hav 4-ing cam fingers engageable with the cam surfacesof the welt bar holding members of the welt bar carrier devices .fortilting and swinging said meina fabric draw-ofi member and means to movebers together with the welt bar, and means in engagement with the railsvof the w'elt bar carrier advancing andlretracting mechanisms for liftingwelt bar actuating devices; and a cam on the vmain cam shaft foroperating said last mentioned Imeans; a fabric draw-off device includinga fabric draw-'off member and means to move said drawoff member in adirection/opposite to that of its draw-off movement; and, means undercontrol of the main cam shaft forv automatically actuating the draw-offmember moving means simultaneously with the operation oi the rackingdevice to unwind the cables.

12. In a flat knitting machine: a. welt bar; separate carrier devices,one for each end of the welt bar, and operable to impart welt engaging,drawing, and turning movements tosaid welt bar, each of said carrierdevices including a welt bar holding member, a lever arm carrying saidmember for tiltable, swingable motions, and a sliding plate supportingsaid arm to reciprocate the same together with said holding member andwelt bar; a fabric draw-oli device including a fabric ,draw-off memberand meanstomove said draw-off member in a direction opposite to that ofits draw-off movement; and, means for automatically actuating thedraw-off member vmoving means simultaneously with the operation of thecarrier devices to lmpart welt.turning movement to the welt bar. 13. Ina at knitting machine: a welt bar; separate carrier devices one foreachend of. the welt bar; and a mechanism for advancing and retract- 1 1tween said movement imparting means and welt bar carrier devices forpulling and pushing the latter, and rigid guide members associated withsaid connecting cables for guiding the same in a predetermined directionin their pulling and pushing of thewelt bar carrier devices; a fabricVdraw-off device including a fabric draw-off member and means to movesaid draw-off member in a direction opposite to that of its draw-offmovement; and, means for automatically actuating the draw-off membermoving means simultanecusly with the pushing of the welt bar carrierdevices by said mechanism.

A16. In a welt forming attachment `for knittingv machines of thecharacter described: a welt bar;

' carrier devices, one foreach end of the welt bar;

ing the welt bar carrier devices in unison, said mechanism includingyieldable, flexible cables attachedV to the .i welt bar carrier devices.rigid guide. members associated guiding the same in a predetermineddirection, drums connected with said cablesfor winding and unwinding thesame, a rack device for operating said drums to wind and unwind thecables, and a power driven means for actuating said rack device; afabric draw-off device including a fabric with said cables for draw-offmember and meansA to move said drawolf member in a direction opposite tothat of its draw-off movement; and, means for automatically actuatingthe draw-off member moving means simultaneously with the operation Vofthe rack device to unwind the cables.

14. In a flat'knitting machine: a welt bar; sepi arate carrier devices.one for each end of the welt bar; and a mechanism for advancing andretracting the welt barcarrier devices in unison, said mechanismincluding yieldable, flexible cables attached to the welt bar carrierdevices, rigid guide members associated with said cables for guiding thesame in a predetermined direction,

drums connected with said cables for windingv and unwinding the same, arack device for operating said drums to wind and unwind the cables, apower driven means for actuating said rack device, and means adjustablefor .engagement with said rack device to limit the drum operatingmovement thereof; a fabric draw-off device including a fabric draw-offmember and means to move said draw-off member in a direction opposite tothat of its draw-off movement; and,` means for automatically actuatingthe draw-off member moving means simultaneously with the opera-l tion ofthe rack device to unwind the cables.

15. In a welt forming attachment forrknitting machines of the characterdescribed: a welt bar; carrier devices, one for each end of the weltbar; a mechanism operable forV moving said welt bar carrier devic s todraw and turn the welt fabric, said mechaA sm including movement'imparting means, yieldable, nexible connecting cables beup mechanismcomprising,

rotatable to wind and unwind the same;

tion in their pulling and pushing of the welt'bar carrier devices; afabric draw-off device including a fabric draw-off member and means tomove f said draw-off member in a direction' opposite to that of itsdraw-off movement; and, means for 'automatically actuating the draw-offmemberV moving means simultaneously with the pushing cf the welt barcarrier devices by said mechanism.

17. In a flat knitting machine: a welt bar; separate carrier devices,one for each end of the welt bar; mechanism for advancing the welt barcarrier devices'in unison; mechanism for lifting and lowering the weltbar carrier devices inunison; and mechanism for guiding the carrierdevicesin unison movement into a definite path when lowered andadvancing, and for side-stepping said carrier devices in unison formovement Vinto a definite'path when lifted and advancing,

said guiding and side-stepping mechanism in, cluding supportingbrackets, and projecting elements on said brackets, certain of saidelements carrier devices when moving in lowered position, 'andcertain ofsaid elements being disposed to contact the carrier devices when movingin lifted position; a fabric draw-off device including a fabric draw-offmember and means to move said draw-off member in a direction opposite tothat of its draw-offmovement; and, means for automatically actuating thedraw-off member moving means neously4 with the advancing of the welt barcarrier devices. i

18. In a fiat knitting machine, a fabric takein combination with a weltrod: welt rod engaging elements; yieldable flexible cables attached tosaid elements; rigid guide members associated with saidcables forguiding the same in a predetermined direction; a ware-roller engagingsaid cables and rotatable to wind andunwind the same; a rack devicerotating' said roller to unwind the cables; and a power driven means foractuatingl said rack flexible. cables attached to said elements; rigidguide members associated with said cables for guiding the same in Vapredetermined direction; a torsional ware-roller engaging said' cablesand simultadevice rotating said torsional ware-roller to unwind thecables; and a power driven means for actuating said rack device.

20. In a fiat knitting machine, the combination with the main cam shaftand the bank of bearded needles operated thereby: of a bank of welt`hooks; mechanism operating to move said bank I means associated withsaid mechanism for automatically actuating the draw-off member movingmeans simultaneously with the movement of the bank of welt hooks towardsthe needles.

21'. In a flat knitting machine, the combination d with the main camshaft and the bank of bearded needles operated thereby: of a bank ofwelt hooks; mechanism operating tomove said bank of welt h ooks in acombined continuous rectilinear horizontal path towards the needles andAa curvilinear vertical path over and behind the needles on the beardedside thereof; and means operatively lconnecting said mechanism to themain cam shaft whereby said mechanism is operated in timed relation,with the operationiof said bank of needles; a fabric draw-off deviceincluding a fabric draw-off member and means to move said draw-offmember in a direction opposite to that of its draw-off movement; and,means associated with said mechanism for automatically actuating thedraw-oil! member moving means simultaneously. with the movement of thebank of welt hooks towards the needles.'

2.2. In a flat knitting machine; the combination with the main cam shaftand the bank of bearded needles actuated thereby: of a bank of welthooks; mechanism operable to actuate said welt hooks in a combinedrectilinear path towards said needles and a curvilinear path overl theneedles to bring the welt hooks into engagement with the bearded side ofsaid needles; and cam.

means on the main cam shaft for operatingy said mechanism to actuate thewelt'- hooks in timed relation vwith the actuation of said needles bythe with said mechanism for automatically `actuatingl the draw-off.member moving means simultaneously with the movement ofthe bank of welthooks towards the needles.

24, In a flat knitting machine, the combination -withvthe main camshaft, the bank of bearded needles, a set of knitting cams on the maincam shaft to actuate said needles during the knitting cycle of themachine, and a set of narrowing cams on the main camshaft to actuatesaid needles during the narrowing cycle of the machine: of a bank ofwelt hooks; a mechanism operable to actuate said welt hooks in acombinedrectilinear path .towards the needles and a curvilinear path to bringthe-welt hooks into engagement with the bearded. side ofsaid needles:and cam means on the main cam shaft for operating said mechanism toactuate the weltV hooks in timed relation vwith the actuation 0f saidneedles during the `narrowing cycle of the machine by said set ofnarrowing cams on said main cam shaft; a fabric draw-off deviceincluding a fabric draw-olf member and means to'move said draw-oilmember in a direction opposite to that of its draw-off movement; and,means associated with said mechanism for automatically actuating thedraw-oil member moving means simultaneously with the movement of thebank of welt hooks towards the needles.y

25. In a flat knitting machine, the combination witnthe main cam shaft.the bank of bearded needles, a set of knitted cams on the lmain lcamshaft to actuate said needles during the knitting cycle of the machine,and a set of narrowing cams on the main cam shaft to actuate saidneedles during the narrowing cycle of the machine; of a bank of welthooks; a mechanism operable to actuate said welt hooks in a `combinedrectilinear path towards the needles anda curvilinear `path over andbehind the needles on the 4bearded side thereof; and cam meanson themaincam shaft for operating said mechanism to actuate the welt hooks intimed relation with the actuation of said needlesl during the narrowingcycle of the machine by said set of narrowing cams on said main camshaft; a fabric draw-off device including a fabric drawoff member andmeans. to move said draw-oil member in a direction opposite to that ofits.

draw-off movement; and, means associated with said mechanism forautomatically actuating the draw-oil` member moving means simultaneouslymain cam shaft; a fabric draw-off device including a, fabric draw-offmember and means to move said draw-off member in a direction opposite tothat of its draw-off movement; and,-means associated, with saidmechanism for automatically actuating the draw-of-member moving meanssimultaneously with the movement of the bank of welt hooks towards theneedles. A A

23. In a flatknitting machine, the combination with the main cam shaftand the bank of bearded needles actuated thereby: of a bank of welthooks; mechanism operable to actuate said welt` hooks in a combinedcontinuous rectilinear .horizontal path towards said needles and acurvilinear vertical path over and behind the needles 1 on the beardedside thereof; and cam means on the main cam shaft for operating saidmechanism to actuate'the' welt hooks in timed relation of its draw-oi!movement; and. means associatedv with the movement of the bank towardsthe needles.

26. In a flat knitting machine having a bank of welt hooks `of beardedneedles and a main cam shaft for y actuating said needles, a weltforming attachment comprising: a bank of welt hooks; mechanismoperatively associated with said hooks te actuate the same in arectilinear path towards said. needles and in a curvilinear path tobring the weit hooks into engagement with the bearded side of saidneedles; and cam means on the main cam shaft operatively associated withsaid mechanism for operating the same to actuate the welt hooks` intimed relation with the actuation or" said needles by the main camshaft; a fabric draw-off; device including a fabric draw-off member andmeans to move said draw-oi! member in a direction'opposite to that ofits draw-'off movement; and, means associated withsaid mechanism for vautomatically actuating the draw-oli .member` moving meanssimultaneously with the movement of the bank of welt hooks towardstheneedles.

27. In a iiat knitting'machine having a bani:

